Ulysses & the Lotus Eaters
by JimmyDinNJ
Summary: A sci fi update to the story. It also blends in a little bit of the Bible.


Ulysses stood at the helm of his star cruiser. He held the wheel loosely and looked at the ship's visual display. Ulysses didn't need to hold the helm to keep the ship on course -computer navigation made it more form than function. He didn't care. He liked to hold onto the polished oak. It felt warm in his hands, and he could feel the gentle vibration of ship's ion drive.

Ulysses was named after one of those infamous sailors. His father - Laertes -took one look at him naked, bloodied, and fresh out of the womb and proclaimed. "My boy is sure of foot and has a twinkle of adventure in his eye...His name is Ulysses." Laertes had lifted his boy above his head for all in the birthing ward to see.

Laertes seemed prophetic as Ulysses could always find his way home whether he was a kid lost in the rich blue green forest of Ithaca or as new recruit navigating the stars of Andromeda. However, these days he wasn't sure about the adventure as the past 10 years have cured him of it. The Trojanic War, which was fiercer and longer than anyone had imagined, had kept him far from home for too long.

But Ulysses didn't want to think about the war any longer. Too many men had died. He surveyed his bridge crew. He could tell by the looks on their faces that they were weary of battle yet excited to be returning home. And, once they returned home, he knew there would be no rest for these weary soldiers. Reports back from Ithaca read that it is being attacked by raiders. The raiders knew that planetary defenses are vulnerable. Ulysses knew that they will be few more battles in his future. The thought made Ulysses tired, and he shuffled to the captain's chair. Only a few more days he thought with an internal sigh.

"Captain, the ship's sensors are picking up solar storm," said the ship's navigator Alexis. Alexis and Ulysses had been serving on the same ship since they were cadets. They were not brothers by kinship but comradeship. Each had saved the other live a dozen times.

"Alexis, how bad is the storm?"

Alexis frowned at the ship's sensor relay not liking what he sees. "Not good Captain. The storm is fast moving and two parsecs wide. We can't outrun it or go around it."

Their star cruiser - a Titan class - had heavy armaments and strong shields. It had withstood many a direct hit from the Trogian fleet vessels, but it was too large to travel fast. Its max speed was only transwarp 5. But armaments or shield could not protect them from the deadly storm brewing.

"Options?" Ulysses barked to the bridge crew; he had confidence that his team will come up with a creative solution.

Jayson, his second in command, had the simplest and most practical. Jayson's idea was to land on a nearby planet and ride out the storm and he had already identified a planet with appropriate atmosphere, ozone layers, and high magnetic field to protect their ship.

Display showed a blue-green planet covered with large oceans and untouched forests. While the planet was inhabited, it was pre-industrial with minimal roads, structure, etc. The planet's inhabits lived in small self-supported villages.

Ulysses, himself, yearned for the simple life. He couldn't succumb to those yearnings until he wanted to be home again with his family. Telemachus, his only son, would be 15 years in a few days. He wanted to be home for his birthday. Ulysses hadn't seen his son for most of his life being away at battle. And next cycle Telemachus would be cadet training.

Alexis had found a location for the ship in a remote location. They were far enough from any village not to be discovered accidently. Jayson, however, had talked Ulysses into a small scouting party. As they inhabitants were similar to the Ithacans.

"It's a great opportunity to study these people." Jayson pleaded. "No one from Ithaca had even been to this planet and, most likely, no one will ever return again." Ulysses agreed begrudgingly.

So Alexis and Jayson set out on a mission to study these people. The duo wore simple tunics of red and carried enough food for 4 days, a communicator, and laser weapon. The rest of the crew focused on the ship repairs.

Sensors tracked their status through the tropical forest. Jayson and Alexis had sensor logging the planetary conditions, minerals, vegetation, and wild life. The planet teamed with life; however, the life was amazing and never before seen by the Ithacans. Reviewing all the data made Ulysses wanted to explore this planet with them. He itched with want of adventure. There were times Ulysses felt he should have been born thousands of years ago and sailed Ithacan's 5 oceans with his namesake.

On Day 2 of the away mission Ulysses became worried; Jayson and Alexis made contact with a small settlement. First contact with any species was tricky. The settlement was small and couldn't be called a village - it was just three huts surrounded by lush fields filled with grain and a river teaming with life. From reports the meeting went well. The cluster of huts was for a family actually. More than 5 generations of inhabitants lived in there.

The inhabitants had no fear. Language didn't seem a problem. The inhabitants' faces showed their pleasure and friendliness. They communicated with simple gestures and welcomed the strangers with kindness and slaughtered an animal for a feast in honor of their guests. Jayson had foresight to scan the food to ensure the feast didn't include anything poisonous to them. When he tried the simple meal he thought the food tasted amazing and was better than space rations he ever ate. After the feast Jayson and Alexis played with two young boys. They kicked a large green melon amongst them. Jayson and Alexis laughed with the boys. Gone from their minds were the thoughts of past war and battles to come.

On Day 3, Ulysses became worried. The previous data streams from the away teams stopped. Jayson and Alexis was not responding to their communicators.

On Day 4, the solar storm had passed. The crew had finished all repairs. All were ready to leave, except Jayson and Alexis was missing. Ulysses was frantic. Towards the end of the day, Jayson had finally answered the ship's hails. He simply said that they "had found paradise and was staying."

Ulysses left the next morning with a squad of soldiers. He marched with determination. He needed to know what happened. _Why didn't Jayson and Alexis want to return home? Were they being coerced? Drugged? _Each step brought Ulysses closer to answer. And as he marched, he no longer saw the beauty of the planet, just potential threats.

Ulysses slowed the pace of him and his men when they got close to the 'village.' Scans lead them to a nearby field. Jayson and Alexis were playing ball with the same two boys again. Ulysses heard laughter long before he could see anything in the lush forest. Ulysses followed it slowly and with determination. He entered the clearing and stopped. He had a moment of relief as Alexis and Jayson was safe. Then Ulysses became angry. He rushed forward.

At first Jayson and Alexis did see the approaching force. The youngest boy, with whom they were playing, noticed the approaching group and gestured to Jayson and Alexis. Something about the group walking in unison made the boy fearful - an emotion that he never felt before in his short life.

Jayson and Alexis stepped in front of the boys as if to protect. They motioned for them to return home. "To Alma." Alexis shouted. "To Alma." Alma - the boys' mother - was safely at the settlement. Jayson and Alexis had learned the villagers' name at the feast. The boys ran into the woods. They stopped when they were safely hidden among the foliage and watched.

Ulysses stopped in front of his lost men - the men who had been his friends. He shook with fury. "Explain!" He commanded.

The duo looked at each other. "We are staying!" They said in unison. Jayson continued, "You needed not have come. We want to stay, here, in this paradise."

Ulysses stared at his men. The two had been like brothers to him. He did the only thing he could. He punched Jayson with all of his strength and anger. That one punch knocked Jayson out. The others members of the crew grabbed Alexis. Alexis struggled helplessly. Ulysses had them bound, gagged, and dragged to the star ship.

The boys watched. The youngest wanted to follow, but his brother dragged him back to the village. They tried to explain what they saw but the elders couldn't comprehend the violence.

Meanwhile, Ulysses returned back to the star cruiser. He locked the deserters in the brig and prepared the ship for takeoff. He stood at the helm - pensive. He went down to the brig once the cruiser was safely in space. Jayson and Alexis stood up as Ulysses approached duo behind the bluish force field.

"Ulysses!" Alexis started.

"No. Don't speak. You will stay here until we get back to Ithaca. I will make a story...maybe tell everyone that you were drugged so you don't get court marshaled. We will speak of this no more." Ulysses said and left.

Jayson and Alexis sat down on the hard metal bench. They cried softly ignoring each other's tears.

The next day the boys went in search of their new friends. They followed the trail into the woods, but he could not find them. The older boy was upset that his friends have left. The young wanted to play. He nagged in their tongue as only a little brother could.

The older lashed out at his younger brother. He struck him as he had seen the man in the woods do. The boy crumbled to the forest floor. The older boy immediately went to his brother. He hadn't meant to cause harm. He tried to wake him, but couldn't. He stared into his brother's glassy eyes. Fear again filled him. He knew he had done wrong. He ran.

That night Alma found her son. She had gone in search of the boys when they hadn't returned for the evening meal. She sobbed his name...over and over again... "Abel."


End file.
